Cam Richards and Daya McCart Win the 2026 Mike Martin Pro

A last-minute venue change and less-than-ideal surf didn’t stop the 2026 Mike Martin Pro/Am from delivering what volunteers, locals, and sponsors called its “best year yet.” 

Photo courtesy Carol Bishop Sears Photography

The four day Mike Martin Pro/Am Surf and Skate Festival took over New Smyrna Beach from April 9-12, drawing surfers and spectators from every corner of Florida and beyond. This year, the event’s new skateboarding component kicked things off on Thursday evening, and surfers hit the water Friday morning, continuing through the weekend with pro, open, and team events for all ages. 

The festival culminated Sunday, with finals day for the men's, women's, and junior pro divisions. Cam Richards and Daya McCart took home the men’s and women’s pro titles, with Alana Lopez and Benji Lange winning their respective junior pro divisions. 

NSB transplants Richards and Michael Dunphy went head to head in the men’s pro finals, with Richards, sitting on a pair of sevens (7.83 and 7.73), taking the win over Dunphy, who finished with a 10.60. 

“There's a lot of waves, so you didn't have to think too much about strategy and whatnot. It was kind of just who got the best waves,” Richards said. “I didn't have to play the game as much, which is what I enjoy.” 

Photo courtesy Carol Bishop Sears Photography

Richards picked through the disorganized lineup, finding enough clean sections to launch airs and power through critical turns. 

“Winning the Mike Martin Pro is awesome,” Richards said. “It felt good to win here, and hopefully it lets me get a few more waves at the inlet when the waves are good.” 

The women’s final played out like a tug-of-war, with McCart and Alana Lopez swapping the lead after nearly every wave. McCart came out on top, sealing the win with 9.07 on her final wave (after sticking a near-impossible turn) to give her a combined score of 16.47, while Lopez finished with a 14.60. 

Photo courtesy Carol Bishop Sears Photography

“I'm really glad that it was back to back,” said McCart, “[Lopez] would take the lead and then I would take the lead, so it was super fun.” 

McCart, who just missed out on the finals last year, said she was very happy to take the win this year. 

Following the men’s pro finals, the top competitors took part in a surprise air show, with Logan Radd taking the win with a 6.00. 

Behind the scenes, contest organizer Stephanie Brown may have pulled off the greatest feat of all: running a four day surf and skate festival smoothly, including organizing hundreds of people and dozens of sponsors. 

Brown took over running the event in 2023, the first time it was held since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Kevin Schweizer asked me to take over running this event,” Brown said. “He loved the event. He loved Mike Martin, and it was really important to him to bring it back.”

Brown said she learned that back in 2009, the surf contest was called the Landshark Pro, and that it was a four day phenomenon with events throughout the city that brought the entire community together and drew plenty of visitors into town. 

“So my vision for doing this event, ever since I heard that, is to bring that back, and to replicate that,” Brown said. 

This year, she teamed up with Blake Carpenter to incorporate the skate event for the first time. 

“It turned out better than anybody could have imagined,” Brown said of the skating component.

The venue on Canal Street took six months to find and finalize, but it turned out to be well worth the wait. 

In addition to surfing and skating, spectators and athletes could enjoy the vendor village and beer garden, filled with free samples, swag, raffles, a silent auction, live music, and even freshly shucked oysters. 

Beyond the festival atmosphere, event organizers emphasized the event’s deeper purpose: giving back to the community. 

Mike DeNato, owner of Cap’n Lu’s and one of the event’s lead sponsors, said the Mike Martin Pro is rooted in that mission. 

“The money we raise is going towards scholarships for high school seniors in New Smyrna,” DeNato said. The Smyrna Surfari Club will award $20,000 in scholarships to graduating surfers this year. 

That sense of community carried into the final moments of the event. A mural on one side of the scaffolding, painted by local artist Jimmy Lane, depicts Mike Martin as the center of the ocean surrounded by surfers on perfect waves.

Photos courtesy Carol Sears Photography

It served as the perfect backdrop for the awards ceremony, as contest winners reflected on how honored they were to win a competition in his name.

The best part of all? Once the final concluded, the conversation on the beach was next year's Mike Martin Pro — and we couldn't be more excited for it.